ENGLEWOOD, Calif. — Dallas Goedert has found a way to put everything into perspective.
Indeed, from a personal perspective, the first four games did not go according to his plan. His favorite thing to do on the soccer field is catch passes and run with the soccer ball in his hands.
And he couldn’t do much of that in the first four games.
But the Eagles were undefeated and he was able to block his butt and still suit up every game.
“Every time I step on the field, I just thank God that I get to play this game,” Goedert said. “It’s a blessing to be here. That’s what it is for me. I don’t want to complain and do all this. It’s a blessing to be here. I don’t take anything for granted. I’m just grateful to be able to play with such a great group of players.”
All that patience finally paid off Sunday in Southern California.
Because Goedert himself had a breakout game.
The Eagles’ No. 1 tight end caught eight passes on nine targets for 117 yards and his first touchdown of the season in the Eagles’ 23-14 win over the Rams, improving his season record to 5. Improved to 0 wins and 0 losses.
That came after he had just 13 catches for 88 yards on Sunday.
“Of course, I’m always ready for the opportunity when it comes,” Goedert said. “When they happen, I try to make the most of them. Today we had more chances than usual. [Jalen Hurts] It was doing a good job of giving me space to run. I was able to make the most of the opportunity. That’s what I always want to do. ”
The Eagles wasted no time in getting Goedert involved early Sunday. The second pass of the game went to Goedert for a 12-yard gain, and the third went to Goedert for a 19-yard gain.
Goedert said he knew he had a chance to have a big game from the first catch.
“I was kind of excited about that,” he said. “Whatever opportunity I got from there, I was going to make it happen.”
On that opening drive, Goedert had four catches for 45 yards and capped the drive with Hurts’ 6-yard touchdown catch. He ended up with 117 yards receiving, the second-most in his NFL career behind his 135-yard performance against the Commanders in 2021.
This was Goedert’s fifth career 100-yard game.
What really stood out about Goedert’s performance on Sunday was his yards after the catch. YAC has always been a big part of Goedert’s games, but he hasn’t really had a chance to gain significant yards this season until against the Rams.
“My back wasn’t hitting the defense the whole time,” Goedert said. “Because we had momentum, we were able to catch runs that were running down the field and across the field. When you’re running at full speed, it’s hard for the defense to close in quickly. That way, It will take a little longer before we can take action against someone.”
The Eagles have never been shy about their passing offense being run by three players: AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Goedert. Brown had another big game with 127 receiving yards, and it was Smith who had a quiet afternoon with just one catch for six yards.
These three guys never get excited when they play poorly or when the ball isn’t coming to them. But there’s a large enough sample size to show that there’s a big game coming for all of them.
It just so happened that Brown and Goedert were both absent on Sunday.
“It meant so much just to see it. [Goedert] Leave early,” Brown said. “He gave us momentum early on. When he was breaking tackles, that was huge. He gave us momentum and just kept going. Jaylen gave him a lot of momentum. I kept looking. That’s the only thing about Jalen: If you get a hot hand, he’ll feed you.”
When asked if this is a starting point in the passing game, Goedert didn’t lie. He said he wasn’t sure.
Because that’s not really how everything works out.
Maybe Goedert will have another big game next week. But maybe the defense will work to take him away, which could create an opportunity for Brown or Smith. That’s the beauty of the Eagles’ offense.
And Goedert understands this better than anyone.
“We have a really special offense,” Goedert said. “We can run the ball, we have really good running backs, we have great receivers on the outside. We have to be ready when the opportunity comes. When A.J. is one-on-one. It’s hard not to throw the ball when Smitty is one-on-one because it’s hard not to throw the ball.
“You just have to be patient and make the most of the opportunities you get.”
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